RI joining bandwagon of crazy politicians?

Posted
Thursday, March 29, 2012 1:00 pm

To the Editor:

On March 19, the same day Senator John McCain told his Republican party members, “I think we ought to respect the right of women to make choices in their lives and make that clear,” a Rhode Island Democrat woman offered a bill similar to the one on which McCain based his complaint.

I have tried to overlook the Republican nonsense concerning women’s issues, being a woman well past my childbearing years and not affected by some of the outrageous laws being brought forward; however, this morning (March 19, 2012) the article in the Providence Journal with the headline “Abortion Bill Requires Fetus Description” was the final straw. No, maybe the final straw was that this bill was sponsored by a Democrat. Does Rhode Island feel we have to join the bandwagon of crazy politicians waging war on women?

I am terrified about the laws that have been passed or sponsored by mostly male politicians. I don’t feel that the majority of women contemplate an abortion procedure lightly. To make that process harder and make the woman feel guilty is just unconscionable. Women have enough painful procedures to endure without adding more. To tell a doctor what he has to do in the privacy of his office with his patient is just plain wrong. What goes on in the doctor’s office is private; not something dictated by laws or men.

As far as contraceptives, “Mr. Neanderthal” Rick Santorum and his cronies are way off base. Everyone who is on this planet must be following the stories of horrendous child abuse cases. Maybe these children shouldn’t have been born to suffer. Just because Mr. Santorum has eight children doesn’t mean every woman should have eight children. It has been stated time and again that Planned Parenthood does not use federal funds to fund abortions, yet the governor of Texas needs more proof and when he gets it, dismisses it. For many women, health care is just too expensive or not available. Planned Parenthood is their savior. Mr. Santorum can’t force an entire nation to adopt his rigid religious beliefs. What happened to freedom of choice?

Finally, I am appalled that your newspaper has not been inundated by women concerning these issues. When I watch the news and see women cheering for Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney, I wonder if these women are paying attention to the issues or just the faces of these men. Surely all these women can’t be religious fanatics. If even half of these laws are passed, we will be taking giant steps backward on women’s rights. I can only hope that on Election Day, in the privacy of the election booth, women vote against these men who certainly don’t seem to like women very much.